Edge structure for aircraft arresting tapes

ABSTRACT

An arrestor tape for use in aircraft arresting means comprising a woven body portion having secured thereto, along the edge portions thereof, abrasion resistant longitudinally extending threads.

United States Patent [72] Inventor [54] EDGE STRUCTURE FOR AlRCl iAFI ARRESTING TAPES 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 139/408, 139/415,244/1l0 a 90 Q6 00 00 600% Q 00 0% Primary Examiner-Henry S. .laudon Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher ABSTRACT: An arrestor tape for use in aircraft arresting means comprising a woven body portion having secured thereto, along the edge portions thereof, abrasion resistant longitudinally extending threads.

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PATENTED FEB 2m 3559697 1 Q Q 0 0 0 0 Q 0000 0000 0000 0000 Q 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 InUanfor D II': win/an flflarnays EDGE STRUCTURE FOR AIRCRAFT ARRESTING TAPES This invention relates to tapes and in particular to tapes for use in the arresting means of aircraft arresting apparatus, such tapes are hereinafter referred to as arrestcr tapes."

It has hitherto been proposed to construct an arrestcr tape from two or more woven plies of synthetic textile threads and to incorporate within this woven structure load bearing threads. These load bearing threads are not interwoven with the structure but lie parallel to each other and extend longitudinally throughout the length of the arrester tape.

Transverse threads are employed in the woven structure to give stability to the tape and also to control the dimensions of the tape.

During the arrest of an aircraft when the arrestcr tape is dragged out from the arresting apparatus, and the subsequent withdrawal of the tape during rewinding by the arresting apparatus for a further arresting operation, severe wear and abrasion of the tape edges result from contact with the aircraft landing strip. This eventually causes exposure of the load bearing threads and subsequently the reduced tensile strength of the arrestcr tapes results in premature tape failure and early replacement of the tapes is then necessary.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a woven arrestcr tape which is reinforced against edge abrasion to improve the life of the tape in comparison with hitherto proposed constructions of arrester tapes.

According to the present invention there is provided a woven arrester tape which includes a tape body having longitudinally and transversely extending interwoven threads and in which at least one longitudinally extending side of the tape body is reinforced by superimposing thereon side elements which extend longitudinally on the side or sides of the tape body and are secured thereto by transversely extending threads.

Preferably the side elements are at a less tension than the longitudinally extending threads and are secured to the tape body at longitudinally spaced positions so that the side elements extend along a side or sides of the tape body in wave formation and are secured to the tape body at the troughs of the waves. The side elements can be secured to the tape body by binding but preferably they are secured by being interwoven with the transversely extending threads of the tape body and in this case they are secured to a side or sides of the tape body by passing, in any required sequence, over and under the transversely extending threads.

Preferably the side elements are secured to their respective side or sides of the tape body in a transversely disposed array so that the side or sides of the tape body to which they are secured are substantially covered, and thereby adequately protected, by the side elements.

Preferably the tape body is of substantially rectangular shape in transverse section and side elements are located to extend solely along one pair of opposed side walls of the tape body. In most applications the tape body will be of oblong rectangular shape in transverse section and in this case side elements are preferably located to extend solely along each of the opposed narrow side walls of the tape body since it is the wear and abrasion which takes place on the narrow side walls which is particularly detrimental during use of the arrestcr tape and is most likely to lead to premature tape failure.

The side elements may be made of any textile material and preferably comprise rope structures or braided cords. In view 'of their mechanical strength and abrasion resistance, synthetic textile materials (such as those sold under the trade names Nylon and Terylene") are preferred for the construction of the side elements and possibly of the tape body.

The arrestcr tape can include one or more longitudinally extending and parallel load bearing elements which are located within the tape body but preferably not interwoven therewith. The load bearing elements extend throughout the length of the arrestcr tape to improve the tensile strength thereof.

In one form of construction the side elements are constructed by tubular braiding a plurality of threads of abrasion resistant synthetic textile material into braided cords. In a further form of construction the side elements are constructed by doubling and cabling a plurality of threads of abrasion resistant synthetic textile material in a rope structure.

A considerable advantage afforded by the present invention, particularly in the preferred construction in which the side elements are secured in wave form to effectively provide loops longitudinally along sides of the tape body, is that the side elements impart to the sides of the arrestcr tape a cushion pile effect which results in a much improved resistance to abrasion and wear during movement of the arrestcr tape over the landing strip.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawing in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of part length of an arrestcr tape constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the arrester tape taken on the line A-A in FIG. I.

The arrestcr tape includes a plurality of substantially parallel and longitudinally extending load bearing warp threads or elements 6 which extend throughout the length of the arrestcr tape and are surrounded by an interwoven structure of Iongitudinally extending synthetic warp threads 3 and transversely extending synthetic weft threads 4. The longitudinal warp threads 3 and transverse weft threads 4 form a tape body which is substantially of oblong rectangular form in transverse section is shown in FIG. 2.

Superimposed on the opposed narrow sides of the tape body is a transversely disposed array of side elements or edge warp threads 2 which extend longitudinally along the side of the tape body and are preferably continuous for the whole length of the arrestcr tape. The side elements 2 provide reinforcement against abrasion and wear on the narrow sides of the .tape body and are secured to the tape body by alternate transverse weft threads 4 as shown in FIG. 1. The side warp elements 2 are at a less tension than the longitudinally extending warp threads 3 and extend along the sides of the tape body in wave form to provide, what are in effect, resilient loops so that the side elements impart a cushion pile effect to the arrestcr tape.

The arrestcr tape illustrated includes binding warp threads 5 which pass right through the tape body in a direction normal to the broad sides thereof to bind the top and bottom plies of the tape body together.

In the present embodiment the side elements are in the form of braided-cords and comprise, for example, 48 ends of onesixteenth (cotton counts) staple nylon braided into a tubular cord construction. In the present example four side elements are applied to each of the narrow sides of the tape body and, because the side elements are of a coarse resilient construction and are secured to the tape body in a transversely disposed array, it is ensured that the transverse and longitudinal threads in the tape body which are normally exposed on the narrow sides of the tape body are substantially covered and thereby protected by the side elements.

Comparative wear tests have been made on an arrestcr tape constructed in accordance with above described and illustrated embodiment and on a standard arrestcr tape constructed in a similar manner to the tape body as above described (without the superimposed side elements).

The wear tests were carried out on samples of the arrestcr tapes which were 4 feet in length. In each case the arrestcr tape was fastened around the edge of a jig of rectangular shape approximately 2 ft. in length by 1 ft. in width and 2 inches thickness. Each tape was mounted so that when the jig was laid flat on the ground the narrow side of the tape protruded below the jig edge and the weight of the jig rested on the narrow side of the tape. The narrow side was the only part of the arrester tape in contact with the ground. The total weight of the assembly was approximately 9.5 pounds.

The jig was moved along a concrete road at approximately 6 miles per hour.

ln the test. the narrow side of the standard arrester tape began to fail and the transverse threads began to break out of the tape afterthe jig had moved about 350 yards. With the arrester tape constructed in accordance with the present invention no such failure of the narrow side was observed until the jig has moved approximately 2.500 yards. These tests were carried out under dry conditions and under these conditions the arrester tape of the present invention shows approximately a 700 percent improvement in comparison with known arrester tapes. Similar comparison tests were carried out under wet conditions and in this case the arrester tape of the present invention shows approximately a 1400 percent improvement.

I claim:

I. A longitudinally extending arrester tape comprising a woven tape body having main warp threads and weft threads, said tape body being considerably wider than it is thick to have opposed narrow side walls and opposed broad side walls, and in which edge warp threads are superimposed and secured on said opposed narrow side walls in a parallel array substantially covering the narrow side walls and extending in planes substantially parallel with said opposed broad side walls to provide a selvedge for protecting the opposed narrow sidewalls of the tape body against runway abrasion, and wherein each of said edge warp threads is at a less longitudinal tension than said main warp threads and extends longitudinally in wave formation and is secured to said tape body at longitudinally spaced positions by threads extending in the direction of said weft threads, said longitudinally spaced positions being located solely at the troughs of the waves in each edge warp thread.

2. A longitudinally extending arrester tape according to claim I wherein each of said edge warp threads is secured to said tape body at longitudinally spaced positions by said weft threads.

37 A longitudinally extending arrester tape according to claim 2 wherein each of said edge warp threads extends sequentially and alternately over and under weft threads in its respective narrow side wall and lies on the weft threads which it extends over to be maintained in a substantially constant wave form. 

1. A longitudinally extending arrester tape comprising a woven tape body having main warp threads and weft threads, said tape body being considerably wider than it is thick to have opposed narrow side walls and opposed broad side walls, and in which edge warp threads are superimposed and secured on said opposed narrow side walls in a parallel array substantially covering the narrow side walls and extending in planes substantially parallel with said opposed broad side walls to provide a selvedge for protecting the opposed narrow side walls of the tape body against runway abrasion, and wherein each of said edge warp threads is at a less longitudinal tension than said main warp threads and extends longitudinally in wave formation and is secured to said tape body at longitudinally spaced positions by threads extending in the direction of said weft threads, said longitudinally spaced positions being located solely at the troughs of the waves in each edge warp thread.
 2. A longitudinally extending arrester tape according to claim 1 wherein each of said edge warp threads is secured to said tape body at longitudinally spaced positions by said weft threads.
 3. A longitudinally extending arrester tape according to claim 2 wherein each of said edge warp threads extends sequentially and alternately over and under weft threads in its respective narrow side wall and lies on the weft threads which it extends over to be maintained in a substantially constant wave form. 